Seattle Jewish Film Festival

The challenge for the Seattle Jewish Film Festival, now in its 16th year, is always the same: Hammer the Holocaust dramas and documentaries too hard, and no one wants to go. (We already have the TV news at home if we want to be depressed, right?) But if SJFF programmers veer too far toward zany marital comedies and culture clashes, then the festival seems lightweight. On balance, this year's mix of 22 features and documentaries, spread over nine days with some ancillary events, feels about right. Yes there are dastardly Nazis and brave French Resistance fighters, but there are also cartoons, sports heroes, and classical music to leaven the loaf. Locations also include SIFF Cinema and other venues. (NR) BRIAN MILLER